How does one evaluate whether they are officer or enlisted material?

Question

besides the obvious trait... leadership.

except enlisted men lead as well. NCO's are the backbone of the military.

What is the difference between a good NCO and a good Officer?

Answer 1

One is educated much higher than the other. An officer must have a bachelor's degree in most cases while anyone who passes limits under a certain age can enlist.

Answer 2

One is a college graduate the other isn't. (when they enlisted of course.)

Answer 3

If you hate taking orders you're enlisted material

Answer 4

Good question and im glad your asking it instead of assuming your cut our for either as many often do..

Ask yourself these questions and you must be very honest with yourself.

-do your friends now look to you for guidance?

-are you a leader or follower?

-does alot of responsibility bother you?

-do you lead by example?

-do you love to take short cuts in life?

-would you rather cheat to get your work done or study to get it done?

-are you self motivated?

-do you have an open mind?

-do you place others first or is it all about you?

-can you handle many different personalities?

-can you give out punishment without feeling like you have done bad?

-can you control your emotions more then others?

-what are your best qualities?

-do you have more integrity then the next person?

-do you prefer the spotlight or the shadows?

-team member or team leader?

-do you learn easily and can you comprehend the complex as well as the simple tasks?

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these are just some of the questions you should answer honestly to yourself..many qualities for officers are also found in nco leaders and vice versa..Your friends you have now will tell you alot about who you are..Learn to listen to them..If you play sports now then what type of player were you? Thee things will show your natural ability.

Answer 5

'leadership'?

Yes that is a difference. Most officers that I have served with could not lead their way out of a paper bag. They are really focused on the social calendar and interactions within the wardroom.

In the Navy:

Officers: Lead the command.

Enlisted: Lead the sailors.

Or as I have often heard repeated over the 1MC by one of my Commanding officers: "Officers fight to stay 'in control of themselves'; while enlisted fight the casualty" He would repeat this each time that we fought a fire or flooding. Once the officers began their 'chicken-without-a-head-routine'

A good Officer tells his NCOs the mission and leaves them to figure it out, and then he stays in the wardroom or his office.

A good NCO is a teacher, a coach, a mentor, and tries to keep the Officers at a distance, so the mission can be accomplished.

Officers manage, NCOs lead.

Officers are more concerned with the goals of the overall mission; NCOs are more concerned with how to execute that mission.

I have a M.A. degree, a B.S. and an A.S. I am enlisted. I have served with many officers who only held B.S. degrees.

I stayed enlisted, as I received far higher pay than did the officers where I was stationed. And my job was far higher respected than our officers were.

Answer 6

Officers:  Lead Units, ensure that the mission is accomplished

Enlisted:  Lead Soldiers, ensure that the Soldiers can accomplish the mission

A good Officer ensures that his NCOs take care of the Soldiers, and that they are working towards accomplishing the mission

A good NCO teaches, coaches, and mentors his Soldiers, ensuring that the Officers are kept at a safe distance, so the mission can be accomplished.

In my opinion, leadership ability (charisma, etc.) is less important in a good Officer than in a good NCO.  Officers manage, NCOs lead.

Officers are more concerned with the goals of the overall mission, NCOs are more concerned with how to execute that mission.

I deeply resent the blanket statement that NCOs are less educated than Officers.  It is generally true that Officers have Bachelors degrees, and Enlisted Soldiers do not. However, according to Army regulations, the minimum requirement to become an Officer is 60 credits (the current guidance is a minimum of 90).  I have known several Enlisted Soldiers with Masters Degrees, and many with Bachelors.  Even if the Officer does have more education, that certainly does not make him smarter.  In the first unit I was in, the Platoon Leader had the lowest GT score of the whole platoon.

If you wonder who is most important, consider this:  During a Command and Staff meeting, operations continue as usual.  During an NCO call, all work stops.

I'm going to answer your original question with a question of my own:

Do you want to lead Soldiers, or do you want to lead the unit?

(by the way, I used the masculine pronoun out of convenience.  I have worked for and with several female Officers who were very competent, with whom I would gladly go to war.)